The Break Presents: Brian Fresco

SaveMoney is one of the strongest new clicks in hip-hop. Based in Chicago, artists like Vic Mensa, Chance The Rapper and Towkio have helped propel the hip-hop collective to new heights. Rapper Brian Fresco, a member of the crew, has seen his movement grow over the years and after the release of his impressive Casanova mixtape in July, he's been high demand. One of Chi-town's finest is ready to make a major leap to another level. With his friends behind him, there's nothing Fresco can't do.

For Fresco, Savemoney is more than a music collective. "It’s a brotherhood," Fresco tells XXL. "We ride for each other for 10-plus years and everybody has love for everybody. We have group chats; we have times where we just go to the gym to play each other in basketball. It’s beyond music. We weren’t always musicians together. It’s much more to SaveMoney than musicians. We’re brothers, we’re going to look out for each other and move still the same way we been moving."

After a string of impressive releases and a solid team in his corner, Brian Fresco is prepared to become SaveMoney's next big star.

I grew up listening to: “Going to school, I would listen to a whole bunch of stuff. From what my father and mother would play, old dusties from gospel music and soul music. My dad had his 1990's rap, 2Pac and Scarface, who are still one of my favorite rappers. I eventually ventured out of my own to listen to rappers like 50 Cent. I remember Eminem when he dropped The Eminem Show; that made me start writing songs. Eminem was like the greatest rapper alive to me at one point in time."

"I remember in the classroom we were all rapping. Everybody was put on the spot because it was a lot of people in the classroom that considered themselves a rapper [laughs]. We were young as shit in grammar school. I was able to get my [bars] off and impress the ladies. That was a good moment. After that I said, 'Yes, I’s a rapper.'"

"I started to get serious in high school, just watching Kids These Days and Vic Mensa. He dropped a mixtape when we were fuckin’ 16. He rap and doing it. I played sports also, from hockey to football and basketball. At a point, going to these shows, the Kids These Days are having sold out shows at The Metro. I’m drinking Hennessy and crowd surfing, this is much more fun than going to practice. I really like making music and freestyling with my homies over [others] beatboxing. I much rather do that. It was more of a passion. Music is therapeutic; I always used it to calm myself down in certain situations. The things I been through that are really serious, I would write about it. Everything I say in my songs is about real-life situations. I always liked to write, from poetry to lyrics in general that’s the way that I get things out."

Most people don’t know: “I don’t think people expect me to be so intellectual because of my background and where I’m from and I can kind of tell from the past media experiences, I was labeled the drill [music] guy out of Savemoney [laughs], which is completely untrue. I’m from Chicago. My cousin is Katie Got Bandz, she’s a 'drill rapper,' if you want to say that. But I don’t want to try and put myself in a box. I don’t want people to box me in general; I don’t want you to box me in any type of genre. I’m very versatile. I rather fly free. That’s why I made Casanova."

My style’s been compared to: “I don’t think my sound is comparable."

My standout records or moments to date have been: “Standout song from Casanova is definitely higher because its something that’s never really been done. It was so off the richter of what people expect me to do. It came out very organic, it was very fun to make and I really enjoyed the process. It was the feel of it. MTV tweeted out that if you like 'One Dance' you’ll love 'Higher.' To hear that from MTV, one of the biggest media outlets in the world, telling the world you need to listen to this song if you like this song because you’re really going to love it. My most fun song was 'Dandelion.'"

My goal in hip-hop is: “My goal in hip-hop is to carve a space for people like myself, who are form where I’m from, are thinking from what I’m thinking and don’t feel like they need to box in to be accepted. I still go back to where I’m from and they treat me with the same respect and love. They actually respect me on a different level."

I’m gonna be the next: “I want people to see this is the next breath of fresh air because [I] can appeal to everyone. And everyone can somehow relate in some sort or fashion to some song on the album. It’s not be tried or attempted in a very long time. I feel like I live to do so."